BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Moldova’s national intelligence agency warned Tuesday against “unprecedented” Russian interference as the country gears up for a referendum on joining the European Union and a presidential election.

Police say 75,000 Moldovans turned out, waving EU flags and chanting pro-European slogans.

Ukraine and Moldova are officially on the path to membership in the European Union. The EU approved their applications in record time amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and concerns that Moldova might be targeted next. But joining the EU is a complicated process that can take years, and there’s no guarantee either country will ultimately win a seat at Europe’s biggest table.

After Brexit, some anticipated a shift in European sentiment and believed other members would follow the UK's lead. But 6 years on, the bloc seems more cohesive than ever and optimism is high. So why is this? And how did the EU become stronger than ever?

Move opens door to EU membership amid outrage over the brutality of the unprovoked Russian attack.

The European Parliament has approved EU candidacy status for Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in a convincing vote on Thursday.

Many people blame the EU for triggering the conflict in Ukraine. However, the EU’s failure to predict Russia’s actions does not make it responsible for them. Since the fighting began, the EU has done a lot to help Ukraine and constrain Russia’s behaviour.

Of all the possible obstacles to Britain’s smooth exit from the European Union, few can have seemed less likely than Moldova.

The U.K.’s post-Brexit access to $1.7 trillion in public projects relies on the good will of its European neighbors. Too bad Moldova holds a grudge. The tiny country wedged between Romania and Ukraine is joining half a dozen nations in blocking the U.K.’s re-entry to the World Trade Organization’s Government Procurement Agreement ...